Over 1,400 turn out to vote in Neighborhood Council election

More than 1,400 people voted over two days to fill 15 available seats on the board of directors of the Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa del Rey.

The annual election was held Tuesday, October 3rd, at the CenterPointe Club and Wednesday, October 4th, at Covenant Presbyterian Church.

The Westchester/Playa del Rey Neighborhood Council board of directors is comprised of 31 board positions, representing residents, business people, community volunteers and more.

The Neighborhood Council area is divided into 15 Residential Districts to assure that each segment of the community is well represented on the board.

The remaining 16 seats are comprised of five at-large members and a series of seats designed to encompass the widest representation of the community as possible.

Independent election administrator Carole White counted ballots in front of a small audience in the library of Visitation School in Westchester.

White announced the winners following a three-and-a-half-hour session.

Following are the official preliminary vote counts she announced for the 15 seats on the 2006 ballot.

Each seat is for a four-year term:

– Residential Area 2:

Terry Issac, 534

– Residential Area 3:

William Ballerini, 689

Karen Kanter, 570

– Residential Area 6:

James L. Ferro, 651

Judeth (Judy) Petix, 573

Laura Parise, 33

John L. Loizeaux, 27

– Residential Area 8:

John F. Ramey, 834

– Residential Area 9:

Frances Stronks, 807

– Residential Area 11:

Robert T. Dalton, 789

– Residential Area 12:

Denny Schneider, 788

– Residential Area 15:

John David Webster, 791

– At-Large (two elected):

Lynn Teruko Kataoka, 646

Mary Taylor, 623

Sheila Mickelson, 531

Harry Len Rose, 489

Jennifer Li Shen, 56

– Business:

Sibyl Buchanan, 747

Jonathan Port, 522

– Community

Organizations:

David Voss, 658

Robert Acherman, 577

– Education:

Richard W. Nelsen, 553

– Loyola Marymount

University:

Lisa Piumetti Farland, 583

– Youth:

Mike Arias, 479

Of the 1,405 ballots cast, 45 provisional ballots were cast.

Of those ballots, cast by those who believed they were stakeholders but who could not provide the appropriate proof to the Independent Election Administrator on Election Day, 13 were subsequently found to be cast by legitimate stakeholders.

The remaining 32 provisional ballots were not included in the final totals because they were cast by people who could not prove they were stakeholders by the October 7th deadline.

There was no seat where the margin of victory was close enough to be determined by counting the provisional ballots.

The deadline for any challenges to the election is 5 p.m. Monday, October 16th. If no challenges are received, the election results will become final.

The newly elected board members are expected to take their seats on the board at the Neighborhood Council’s January meeting.

Information on the Neighborhood Council of Westchester/ Playa del Rey, www.ncwpdr.org or (213) 473-7023.

OVERSIZE VEHICLE LAW — What has been an ongoing issue for many years with Westchester homeowners along Manchester Avenue will hopefully be eased since a new oversize vehicle ordinance became effective in Los Angeles on October 6th.

Scores of residents whose properties back up to Manchester Avenue and other major streets, such as La Tijera Boulevard, have long complained that large vehicles, including semi trucks and recreational vehicles, are parked on the street for long periods, creating eyesores and obstructing the vision of drivers trying to turn onto the street.

A new city ordinance, however, should provide some relief.

Ordinance number 177876 prohibits vehicles in excess of 22 feet long and 84 inches high to park overnight on streets that have signs prohibiting it. The ordinance reads as follows:

“(a) No person shall stop, stand or park, when authorized signs are in place giving notice of the restriction, any oversize vehicle, defined as a motor vehicle in excess of 22 feet in length and over 84 inches in height, between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.

“The registered owner of the oversize vehicle or other person having control of the oversize vehicle shall also be in violation of this section if he or she has knowledge that the oversize vehicle had been so parked and the person parking had the express or implied permission to operate the oversize vehicle.”

Residents aware of streets that should have the notice posted may contact Councilman Bill Rosendahl’s Office at laurie.sale@la city.org and request that signage be installed.

STREET TREES — The Westchester Streetscape Improvement Association scheduled a public forum at its meeting Wednesday, October 11th, to learn about trees which may be used to replace six ficus trees on Manchester Avenue that need to be replaced so the sidewalk can be repaired.

Greg Monfette from the city’s Urban Forestry Department was invited to discuss replacement of the trees.

A vote is to be taken and a species for the replacement trees be chosen at the association’s meeting scheduled for Wednesday, November 8th, in the Community Room of the Westchester Municipal Building, 7116 Manchester Ave.

LAPD OPEN HOUSE — The Los Angeles Police Department’s Pacific Area Station will hold its annual Open House from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, October 28th, at the station, 12312 Culver Blvd. in Los Angeles.

The event is an opportunity to meet local police officers and detectives, take a tour of the station and sit in an actual jail cell.

In addition, there will be a “bounce house” for children, small carnival-type rides and an earthquake simulator that can simulate up to an 8.0 magnitude quake.

The event is free and open to the public.

PANCAKE BREAKFAST — In celebration of National Fire Prevention Week, the Playa Sunrise Rotary Club is sponsoring a pancake breakfast and open house at Los Angeles Fire Department Station No. 5.

The event will be held from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, October 14th, at the station, 8900 S. Emerson Ave. in Westchester.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under. The ticket price includes pancakes, sausage and choice of drink.

All proceeds from the event will go to benefit the station.

In addition to the pancake breakfast, there will be a “bouncer” for the children, a booth where parents can obtain child identification packages and more.

Rotarians and firefighters will cook the food, which has been generously supplied by the Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel.